


sink or swim

by Caori



Series: Moirai [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Anxiety, Aquariums, Gen, Isolation, Social Anxiety, for good reason, he tries, marsie doesnt know how to talk to people, ollie is a good bean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27215485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caori/pseuds/Caori
Summary: Is there a better way to kick off a friendship than with a nice day out?Yes,Mars would argue,Many.
Relationships: Mars D'Aragon & Oliver Diaz
Series: Moirai [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986730
Kudos: 2





	sink or swim

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline: Arc 1 - Outside, a week after Mars and Ollie's first meeting.

“Pleaaase!”

“No.”

“C’mon, I owe you one, why won’t you give me a chance to repay you?”

“I said no, and you don’t owe me anything. I don’t know why I’m even entertaining you when you just showed up in my home uninvited.”

Ollie pouted, legs swishing back and forth over the kitchen counter as the early afternoon sun warmed his back. That song and dance had gone on for a good five minutes, five minutes of him downright  _ begging  _ Mars to let him take him somewhere in thanks for his help the week prior, only for the recluse to shoot him down again and again. “How about a library? You like books, should be right up your alley!”

“I have more than enough here.”

“Those old things? C’mon man, expand your horizons a bit! I know a few series that will blow your mind.”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

Ollie tilted his head, his childish, pleading expression morphing into one of concern. “...Are you really?”

Mars frowned under his mask. His long, brown mane of unkempt hair brushed against the high bar stool he was sitting on as he straightened his posture. He brushed off invisible dust off his PJ’s before continuing to nibble on his crackers. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m not the one who made a hole in the glass ceiling and almost bled out in my poinsettias last week.”

Ollie gave him a look. He hadn’t paid that much attention during their first encounter, but Mars looked… well, how to put this...“Dude. No offense, but you look like you just came out of some kidnapper’s basement or something.” he pointed to his own, short curly mess of hair. “And unless you’re planning on being Rapunzel in some play soon, you need a haircut. Stat.”

Mars stopped eating -if it could even be called that- to blink at the other, confusion etching across his features- his eyes might’ve been brown, or green, Ollie couldn’t quite make them out behind those huge pink-tinted glasses.

“What’s… ‘rapunzel’?” the tall man asked in confusion.

“Oh my god, seriously? Do you  _ ever _ go outside?”

Mars stiffened, eyes widening in something akin to panic, and  _ hurt _ \- and that’s when Ollie understood that there was something more serious going on. All in all, the growing accumulation of red flags was starting to concern him, and the Rapunzel parallels were starting to become a little  _ too _ real. “Oh sh- nevermind,” he backpedaled immediately, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “Forget I asked, you don’t need- I mean, we don’t-”

He ran a hand through his hair with a frustrated groan- seemed like he couldn’t stop putting his foot in his mouth if he tried. First the mask thing, now this… why was he like this? 

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? You’re right, we only met once, so you don’t have to tell me anything. I came back because- because you helped me and basically saved my life.”

He looked back up at the taller man, an earnest glint in his green eyes. There were dark rings around the taller man’s own, barely noticeable in the shadows cast by his mask. The light from outside shone at a new angle on his pallid face, highlighting his emaciated traits.

Yeah, let’s just say Ollie was getting really,  _ really _ worried. What  _ was _ going on here? “I don’t know, I guess… I guess I wanted to thank you properly, while I’m not bleeding all over your furniture,” he chuckled nervously.  _ Also I think you’re really not doing good and I want to help you. _

That last part was, of course, left unsaid.

“How about,” he started carefully, a serious expression on his face, “I take you to a place where I guarantee there’ll be no people.”

Mars stared at him in silent annoyance.

“Well, there’s the cashier obviously, and the tour lady- but other than that it’s empty!” the younger man added quickly, “I’ve gone there a few times and I’ve never seen more than one person at a time, other than me.”

“...There’ll be people in the streets.” Mars mumbled, fingers tapping absentmindedly against his mask.

Ollie barely stopped himself from beaming-  _ yes! _ He was starting to cave! “It’s not too far from here, fifteen minutes tops,” he assured, “You’ll be fine! Please, just one outing, just the two of us. That’s all I’m asking. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“Just this one time.”

“Yup!”

“And you won’t stop pestering me until I say yes.”

“Nope!”

Mars let out a deep sign, dramatically resting his head against the hard surface of the kitchen worktop. He was starting to regret not simply calling an ambulance that day.

***

This was a horrible idea.

He dug his hands in his pockets nervously, looking down at the concrete- how long had it been since he’d seen a  _ sidewalk _ ? 

His field of vision was restricted by the hood of the kangaroo jacket Oliver had lent him for the trip, he could barely make out anything around him. The hoodie was too small for him, the sleeves barely reaching his wrists, and it was not suitable for the humid summer heat outside, but it felt soft and effectively hid his face from other people.

_ Other people. _

He couldn’t see them, but they were here. Everywhere. He could hear them, catch tiny parts of their conversations when they crossed paths before their voices faded away, only to be replaced by more, always more. It had been so long since he’d heard voices other than his own, or Cecil’s, and more recently Ollie’s.

Three he could manage. But not dozens upon dozens, mingling together in an indistinguishable buzz.

He felt sweat roll down his temples, down his neck- Ollie had convinced him to tie his long, tangled mess of hair into a messy bun, so it wouldn’t get soaked or caught in something. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but now it wouldn’t stick to his back. That was something at least.

Their steps echoed in the streets, ricocheting on the tall buildings looming over them. So tall. So high. He didn’t dare look up, or he’d get lost in the vast expanse of open space above him, too much space, too open, too much noise. There was a smell, something like smoke and dust but also not, it stung the inside of his nose.

_ Don’t be difficult, this will be good for you. You can’t stay hauled up in the property for the rest of your life, so quit acting like a toddler. Do you understand me,  _ _ Marius _ _? _

He grit his teeth, shaking off the flimsy memory- he didn’t need to hear Cecil belittle him right now. 

His heart thumped loudly in his ears, hands trembling with anxiety. He didn’t like this. He was still walking and he didn’t know where he was going, oh god he was lost and he didn’t know how to get back get back he wanted to go back he didn’t want to do this anymore-

“We’re here!”

He snapped out of his panicked spiral, becoming aware of Oliver’s arm linked with his own. Oh. Right, he’d led him here, he wasn’t lost…

He turned to look down at him- the little menace was smiling up at him, a smile that was probably meant to be comforting. “See? Told you it wasn’t far. You’re okay, right?”

He blinked, turning away to come face to face with the front of a peculiar building. Something squirmed at the edge of his memory, faint and far away- was that...

“C’mon, let’s go in! It’ll be a lot quieter inside,” he heard his companion chirp before he was pulled by the arm, yelping in surprise as they passed the sliding doors leading into the aquarium.

***

...Okay. He had to admit. It  _ was _ a lot quieter inside.

Ollie had been right, surprisingly enough. Apart from the two, teenage-looking staff members that had looked surprised and a little _ too _ happy to see them enter earlier, there truly was nobody here but them. The air was cool and dry, a stark contrast to the heat outside, and the dim lighting gave the place a calm and intimate atmosphere.

It could’ve been much worse, all things considered...

While Oliver was chatting up a storm with the cashier at the entrance, Mars had drifted to the side, carefully removing his borrowed hood before letting out a deep breath. Turning his head to peer past the counters and inside the building, he caught sight of a few vertical, circular tanks on either side of the dark hallway, a luminescent path zigzagging and leading into a bigger room further ahead.

A boisterous laugh snapped him out of his observation, turning back to the counter to see the younger, denim-clad man bending forward, holding his sides as he laughed at something the cashier had evidently said, giver the teasing smile on the uniform-wearing teenager.

But something else caught his attention- a feeling, like pinpricks on the back of his neck. He turned a little more to the right and met the gaze of the second tenant, a small girl in a similar uniform as the cashier- probably a guide of some sort. She was staring at him, a neutral expression on her face, her head tilted to the side- but when their eyes met, she froze and quickly looked away, evidently embarrassed at being caught staring.

A wave of unease washed over him, turning away as well- he tapped on his mask nervously, reconsidering his decision once again. Of course people would stare, why wouldn’t they? A normal person didn’t wear masks, or linger in dark corners like some kind of  _ freak _ -

“‘Kay, we’re good to go!”

“GAH!”

Mars startled loudly, putting a hand over his racing heart as he glared down at a beaming Ollie. “You- Will you  _ stop _ doing that?”

“Doing what?”

“That- ugh, nevermind,” the taller man groaned. Then he froze, an important realization dawning on him; museums… aquariums… those… cost money to visit, right? “O-Oliver, I didn’t bring-” 

Olier laughed and clapped Mars’ back good-naturedly, sending him stumbling a few feet ahead. “No worries, entry’s free on wednesdays! C’mon let’s go, I wanna see the sharks!” he chirped before taking off, following the glowing trail on the floor.

Mars blinked, watching as Ollie disappeared in the distance, the occasional flash of bright green jumping around from behind the different exhibits up ahead. He sighed, rubbing at his face under his mask, a headache already forming.

***

Oh.

He...wasn’t quite sure what he was doing. One minute he was his usual mix of apathy and annoyance, reluctantly shuffling between the exhibits -he’d seen a few crabs, shellfishes… all in little-to-medium-sized tanks, complete with explanation signs he didn’t bother to read.

And now he was standing gobsmacked in the middle of the back room, staring wide-eyed at a gigantic, curved-in aquarium.

Beams of light pierced through the surface above, casting a surprisingly warm glow on the inhabitants of the tank- a school of dozens upon dozens of tiny silver fishes, swimming in perfect synchronicity like they were all part of a single organism. Pale pink jellyfishes drifting through the water, like strange underwater ballerinas. A manta ray, graceful, massive, seemingly flying among this world of blue, occasionally disappearing behind pink and green flora.

The rest of the world was but a distant concept now- Mars barely realized he’d come closer, close enough to touch the glass panel separating him from the mesmerizing fragment of ocean in front of him. Something about this, the bluish hue surrounding him, the feeling of cold glass against his palm, looking up at those creatures drifting and swimming…

It felt familiar somehow.

  
  
  


_ “You’ve been looking at this display for a while. Are you certain you don’t want to see the others?” _

_ “...” _

_ “Alles klar. I’ll leave you to it then, but remember we must leave in about twenty minutes.” _

  
  
  


“S’pretty, right?”

He almost yelped, jumping at the unexpected, unknown voice. He whirled around and stared at the girl -the one he’d caught looking at him earlier- that had somehow sneaked a few feet away from him- she was looking up at the tank with a playful smile, but faltered when she saw him react. “Oh, sorry sir, didn’t mean to startle you. That was rude.”

He blinked, his brain scrambling to find an appropriate reaction to this stranger suddenly talking to him. He blinked owlishly, his brain scrambling to find an appropriate reaction to this stranger suddenly talking to him; Squeezing his right arm tightly, he was suddenly finding the carpeted floor very interesting. “Um… t-that’s alright.”

An awkward silence followed. Mars wondered if he could get away with slowly walking out of the room.

“Oh, right, I also wanted to apologize.”

He turned to the guide once again, barely catching a glimpse of her light blue eyes before he looked away again, like her gaze burned him. “...Apologize?” he asked meekly. 

“Well, yeah. For staring, earlier.”

He grimaced, the knot in his stomach tightening at her words. “Ah… P-Please don’t, it’s fine, I know it’s uh… strange. The mask.” he stammered, fingers tapping against the sleek black material. If anything, he felt like apologizing now. For being weird, for making her feel like she owed him an apology, for being here, for existing-

“Oh, no,” her crisp voice interrupted his spiraling thoughts, “I mean don’t get me wrong, it looks cool, but that’s not why I was looking.”

He stilled, fingers frozen in a mid-tapping position. It… wasn’t?

She chuckled nervously, fiddling with a strand of her honey blonde hair. “Okay- this is gonna sound really stupid, but… you’re tall. Like,  _ really _ tall. It’s kinda cool.”

_...What? _

“I know, it’s weird, but c’mon” she rolled her eyes, “Have you  _ seen _ me? I’m basically a hobbit, and you tall people are like giants.”

“What’s a hobb-”

“Whatever. Doesn’t matter, I don’t have to act all prim and proper while I’m here anymore. Place’s shutting down soon.”

He shook himself out of his confusion, trying to fake a calm-ish front- he was having trouble following this person’s trail of thought. At least with the doc he was able to have a coherent exchange most times... “R-Right, it’s getting a bit late…” 

The girl snorted. “Um, no it’s not? It’s barely four.”

_ Oh.  _

“I meant closing down for good. Investors are pulling out, everyone’s flocking to the fancy new marine center next town over.”

She sighed, putting her hand flat against the glass. A few bright green fishes flocked to it for a second before turning back. “So yeah. Within a month or so my summer job will be toast.”

“Aw man, that sucks. I really liked this place.”

“Putain de- _ ”  _ Mars startled again, glaring daggers at his...  _ companion, _ who’d once again popped out of nowhere. Did  _ all _ smaller people do this? “Tu fais chier Ollie, I  _ told _ you to stop-”

“ 'sup Sunny,” said smaller person greeted the guide cheerily, completely ignoring Mars’ angry scowl. “Been a while.”

“‘Hey man. Sorry I didn’t come and say hi, had stuff going on in the back.”

“Yeah? Does playing that cat collecting game on your phone count as work stuff?”

“Hah! Very funny. How ‘bout you? Still teaching people how to kick ass?”

Mars groaned, letting their back-and-forth fade into background noise, instead electing to observe the lazy dance of the manta ray. It seemed like a pretty good life… being fed every few hours, having nothing to worry about but the warmth of the sun and the flow of the current…

He had started to imagine a world filled with gigantic manta rays flying through the sky when he noticed the lack of chatter. He hesitantly took his eyes off the aquatic creatures to see that the guide -Sunny- was gone, leaving him and a cheerful ball of endless energy alone in the room.

Speaking of, Oliver tilted his head at him, a playful shine in his green eyes. “So? Whatcha think?”

“Of…what?”

“Y’know. This place? You like it, right? Of course you like it, it was my idea, making people happier is what I’m all about!”

Then he laughed, a clear, over-the-top laugh that, against Mars’ better judgement, made the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. “I guess you are…” He hesitated, before taking a grounding breath. “So. The people here... are those, um… friends of yours?”

“Yeah! Went to the same school and everything. Sunny’s gonna get an engineering degree, and Mateo’s saving money to travel around. They’re chill.”

Mars nodded distractedly, a bitter feeling twisting his insides- Oliver had looked so utterly at ease talking to these people, laughing and joking like that’s what he was  _ born _ to do. His own palms had gotten clammy just being talked to, heart racing and vision swimming, and he realized a little bit late that he hadn’t made eye contact the whole time he and the guide had interacted.

Oh god. He wanted to crawl into a cave and die. “Can we leave now? I t-think I’m good. For today.”

_ More like for the next year or so, _ he thought tiredly. Stars, it had only been two hours or so, and he was feeling more drained than he ever had in his life.

“Sure,” Ollie nodded, his excited expression softening, “I get ya. Let’s go.”

As they made their way back to the entrance, Mars couldn’t help but feel a tug at his heart- something old, but close. Warm. 

He was so caught up on whatever that feeling was that he didn’t even notice the people around him, walking alongside Oliver and him, crossing their path. What he did notice, however, was that he  _ did _ tower over most, if not all of them.   
  
Huh. Guess… he  _ was _ tall. He just hadn’t really had any frame of reference for a very,  _ very _ long time. Well, other than Cecil obviously, but then again the doc  _ was _ pretty tall himself.

But if Ollie wouldn’t apologize for calling him a beanpole, he wouldn’t apologize for calling  _ him _ fun-sized either.

“Kay, we’re here. That was kinda fun, yeah?”

“It was…something.”

“...a bit lacking in the enthusiasm department there but I’ll take it! I’ll see you later then?”

“Afraid so.”

It was only when he was finally back, sitting alone in the center of the greenhouse with the parakeets sedately pecking at his shoulders and hair that he realized he didn’t want this place to shut down.

***

_ “Hallo?” _

“Hey uh, it’s me.”

_ “What’s wrong this time? Did Oliver fall off a building? Someone else bleeding out in your flowerbeds?” _

“No, this isn’t- nobody’s dying, and I’m fine, thanks for asking…”

_ “...Whatever this is, be quick about it. I have work to do.” _

“Yeah, I figured. I was just- I need advice on something.”

_ “...” _

“It’s, uh… complicated.”

_ “If this is about sex, I left some explanatory flyers in the upper office years ago.” _

“Wh- NO! Stars, not  _ that _ kind of advice- ugh, why are you like this. I was wondering. If it was possible to buy a building.”

_ “...” _

“...Cecil?”

_ “I’m not even going to ask, it’s  _ your _ money. Give me a minute to cancel  _ every single plan _ I had today, this is going to take a while.” _


End file.
